Tuesday marked the release of the second “Tropes vs Women in Video Games” video. The series, which came to life thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, has been a hot topic of discussion on Reddit, Kotaku and other gaming hubs.
Anita Sarkeesian, creator of the series, has faced an increasing amount of harassment from anonymous Internet bullies. Her Kickstarter campaign raised the $6,000 goal within 24 hours. The campaign ultimately raised over $150,000 after Sarkeesian posted examples of the harassment she was receiving to her blog.
Those in the game industry have spoken in defense of Sarkeesian. Cliff Bleszinski, lead designer on the Gears of War series, wrote on his blog, “I’m assuming you can do a decent web series for a pretty low amount of money. $6,000 sounds like a healthy budget, even maybe a bit much for what the Anonymous Internet Boy Taliban thought was needed for the videos. Here’s the thing, though, boys. It’s not your call on how much the series should cost, or how much she should be allowed to make on Kickstarter. (The Boys were so enraged by this as they believed she “scammed” money out of people. One man’s “scammed” is another’s “shut up and take my money.”)”
Bleszinski makes a good point — because this was a Kickstarter-funded venture, fans voted with their dollars. Those interested in the intersection of feminism and video games wanted another voice, specifically Sarkeesian’s, added to the conversation. It’s a conversation that is sorely needed. Whether or not you agree with Sarkeesian, fact is that there is a lack of leading female characters in video games.
It does seem like there is a systematic effort to silence voices like Sarkeesian’s. The latest video in the series, an overview of the “Damsels in Distress” trope, was temporarily taken down from YouTube after it had been flagged by Sarkeesian harassers.
It’s okay to play games that involve these tropes but it’s also important to recognize the cultural impact these games have had and will have. This video series is not calling out players for playing these games, nor is it identifying people who play games with these tropes as sexist. As Sarkeesian puts it, “ … it’s both possible (and even necessary) to simultaneously enjoy a piece of media while also being critical of its more problematic or pernicious aspects.”
